I ordered a Wonderful and a Granada from Bay Laurel Nursery last spring. Both were bare root and neither had a problem. Two excellent mail order nurseries that ship "potted" are rollingrivernursery.com and ediblelandscaping.com. I put a mini four legged shade trellis over potted trees to partially shade them for the first month. Good luck.

Yes they normally do very well as bare root. The biggest reason for bare root trees to fail is the roots drying out before they get in the ground and get their first drink. Even one hour in the sun while you are digging the hole can dessicate them enough that they wouldn't grow.

Thanks for the comments...and the links. The two pomegranates came from Bay Laurel..and we have been happy with all else that we have purchased through the nursery. Upon receipt, I immediately soaked my Eversweet and Ambrosia overnight in a mix of Superthrive and weak solution of Peter's 9-45-15. These were carefully handled, and never allowed to dry out. And immediately watered in by hand.

Well you certainly gave then lots of good care. I don't fertilize new trees until they have been in the ground for about 6 weeks. I don't know if that makes any difference.

I would not recommend soaking overnight in fertilizer. Even in plain water overnight is not necessary but would not be fatal. I also do not fertilize a plant that is not yet growing. I would apply Mycorrhizal Fungi to the bare roots as they are planted to help them take up nutrients. Contact Bay Laurel for their suggestions and possible replacement. Al